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Determination of Frontal Offset Test Conditions Based on Crash Data
Technical Paper
986003
Sector:
Language:
English
Abstract
This paper reports on the test procedure development phase of
the agency''s Improved Frontal Protection research program.
It is anticipated that even after all cars and light trucks have
air bags for drivers and front seat passengers there will remain
over 8,000 fatalities a year and over 100,000 moderate-to-severe
injuries. This research program will address these
injuries/fatalities through development of crash tests with impact
conditions not currently addressed by FMVSS No. 208, development of
additional or more appropriate instrumentation and injury criteria
on the test surrogate, and evaluation of other sizes of test
surrogates.
An analysis of crash data is presented using the National
Automotive Sampling System (NASS) and the Fatality Analysis
Reporting System (FARS) for fatality counts. The population is
drivers in frontal collisions with air bag restraints. Using NASS,
frontal impact modes are grouped into general "test"
conditions which will best represent the real-world impact
environment. These general test conditions include full barrier,
left and right offset, and other impact modes. Using these general
groupings of impact conditions, the analysis further assesses
degree of overlap and impact direction to determine more
specifically which crash conditions result in highest
injury/fatality to drivers with air bags. Injury/fatality risk is
also assessed by driver size and body region, with a more detailed
analysis of leg injuries. Finally, a preliminary benefits analysis
is presented for a future frontal, left, offset test procedure.
A test procedure has been developed, and is reported on in a
separate paper. Collinear and oblique, offset, frontal crash
testing, at different widths of overlap, has been conducted with
several current model, "target" cars into a standard
"bullet" car at closing speeds of about 110 kph. Dummy
injury measurements and structural responses provide a basis for
determining which impact conditions produce the most severe
environment for occupants with air bags. It appears that the
oblique impact with over 50 percent overlap produces the most
severe responses on the "target" car. Development of this
impact configuration into a potential frontal test procedure has
been completed using a moving deformable barrier (MDB).